Wrapping machine



Jan. 10, 1928.

H. A. sEvlGNE WRAPPING MACHINE Filed June l0. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet l n Jan. 1o, 192s.

H. A. SVIGN WRAPPING MACHINE Flled June l0 1926 Patented Jan. 10, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRI A. SVIGNE, OF WINTHROP, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 NATIONAL BREAD WBAIPING MACHINE COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION 0l' MASSACHUSETTS.

WBAPPING MACHINE.

Application illed June 10, 1926. Serial No. 114,879.

This invention relates to wrapping machines andhas particular reference to means for facilitating the operation of attending to the supply ofy un-wrapped articles, such as loaves of bread, to the machine, and the removal of the wrapped articles therefrom.

One of the objects of the invention is to enable a single attendant to transfer the uli-wrapped articles from a source of supply such as a movable rack of shelving such as commonly employed in bakeries, to feeding position where they will begin to pass automatically to and through the wrapping machine, and to also remove the wrapped articles in closely assembled groups delivered from the machine and place them elsewhere such as on another rack Without having to gather the wrapped articles together into a group, doing both While remaining in one position adjacent to the machine, thereby saving time in the use of the machine and enabling it to be attended to by one person instead of two.

Another object is to provide for counting the wrap ed articles issuing from the machine, this being eEected by ensuring the successive deposit of said articles in a receptacle to form oups each of which groups includes a c osely assembled predetermined number of said articles.

With the above mentioned objects in View, and others hereinafter referred to, the invention consists in the construction and combination of parts substantially as hereinafter described and claimed.

Of the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improvements illustrated as at the delivery end of a bread wrapping machine of the type illustrated in Letters Patent No.- 1,412,754, issued April 11, 1922, to Svign & Arnold.

Figure 2 is a detail elevation looking in the direction of the arrow 2, Figure 1, and illustrating the tilting shelf as swung down by the weiglht of a wrapped loaf indicated by dotted 'nes X.

Similar reference characters desi nate similar parts or features in both o the views.

As explained in the patent referred to, iin-wrapped articles are deposited on a feeder consisting of inclined rods 42 supported by brackets one of which is shown at 41, and said articles, after being wrapped by the mechanism of the machine, are pushed over an apron 241 by pushers 214 carried by chains 209. The preceding numerals are the same as those used for the same parts illustrated and described in said patent.

Reference letters instead of numerals are employed herein for the features of my present improvements.

The loaves are forwarded by the pushers 214. onto a belt a mounted on rolls a', a2, and said belt delivers the loaves singly and successively 'onto an automatically tilting shelf b having an upright wall b. Said shelf normally occupies the position indicated in F lgure 1, level with or slightly below the plane of the upper stretch of the belt n. It is loosely supported by a pivot c carried by a bracket d secured to a stationary rod d which is suitably supported by the frame of the machine. To normally hold the pivoted shelf in its loaf-receiving position, which position is determined by a stop presently described, the shelf has a rod b2 extending from it, on which rod a weight b is adjustably mounted. If desired, a spring e may be employed either to aid the weight or as a substitute therefor.

The counterbalance of the shelf is such that the weight of a wrapped loaf arriving thereon from the belt a tilts said shelf (see Figure 2) so that the loaf will slide onto an elongated4 laterally inclined receiving shelf f having a stop Wall f at its lower edge, said shelf constituting a temporary receptacle for a predetermined number of wrap ed loaves. The said shelf f is carried by a racket f2 projecting from an upright or leg of the machine, said bragket also supporting a slideWay f3 for a rod lc hereinafter described. To guide the sliding loaf onto the shelf f and to determine the lower or tilted position of the shelf b, the shelf f has an extension or plate f* the upper edge of which is just overlapped by the end of the shelf b when the latter is tilted. The plate f* has a side wall f5 to which is adjustably secured an upright strip g having a lateral tip g provided with a cushion g of rubber or other suitable material in position to act as a stop for the upper edge of the wall b of the tilting shelf, thereby de terminlng the normal upper osition of sald shelf under the inuence o the weight b8 or sprin e.

Movable along the receiving shelf )gis a pusher h having a side wall h and carried by a rod k2 which, in turn, is carried by a stud z' secured to a rod c mounted to slide in the portion f3 of the fixed bracketf2 hereinbefore described. Connected to an 1ntermediate portion of the slide rod 1c by a link Z is a lever m pivoted at n to a bracket o mounted on an upright or leg of'the machine frame, the other end of the lever being pivoted at p to a link or rod r which 1s reciprocated by suitable means such as .a crank of one of the shafts of the Wrapping machine, not necessary to illustrate. Preferably the lever m is actuated as many times per minute as loaves are wrapped, to effect the results of the operation now to be described.

Each wrapped loaf delivered by a pusher 214 onto the belt a is delivered by the latter onto the shelf b which then immediately tilts so that the loaf slides down over the plate f2 onto the shelf f, and said shelf b then returns to its normal upper position to be ready to receive another loaf from the belt a. The timing is such that usually the pusher la is in the position illustrated by Figure l so that the loaf arrives against the shelf wall f in front of the pusher k, and the latter then moves in the direction of the arrow and slides the loaf toward the other end of the shelf f. If it should happen that another loaf starts over the plate f* before the pusher has retreated, it will be temporarily arrested by the rearwardly extending stop wall It of the pusher until the pusher has fully retreated, after which said loaf will then sllde down in front of the pusher.

The distance of reciprocation of the pusher z is such that it will advance each loaf an amount of travel slightly exceeding the width of the loaf so that, when the pusher retreats, a space will be formed for the admission of the next loaf delivered by the tilting shelf b. The next advance of the pusher l1, will then slide two loaves along the receiving shelf f, and so on, resulting in effect-ing a close assemblage of the wrapped loaves in side-by-side contact so that a group of them can be picked up together for transfer to a rack or box without loosening any of the sealed portions of the wrappers.

A single attendant in a position near the far end of the shelf f is also near the end of the gravity slide rods or feeder 42, and therefore, with a rack of un-wrapped loaves and an empty rack within reach, said attendant can, without moving from that position, alternately attend to sup lying the machine feeder with un-wrapped) loaves and to removing the wrapped loaves, placing the latter on the shelves of the empty rack either in uncertain numbers or in counted groups as presently explained. The single attendl ant can do this with ease because the loaves, as they accumulate on the shelf f, are always moving in the same direction as that in which he moves to place fresh loaves on the gravity feeder 42.

'lhe present invention possesses a number of advantages in addition to what has been specifically mentioned. It enables the machine as a whole to occupy less floor space than when a long belt or run-Way is employed to hold a quantity of loaves until an attendant can pick them up. It avoids the necessity of using any turn-table such as has been proposed for starting the wrapped loaves in a new direction for removal or packing. And the cooperating shelves b and f constitute an effective counting mechanism. For instance, assuming that the shelf f and its wall f are of a length to receive and hold four wrapped loaves side by side, and which necessarily are grouped in contact with each other on the said shelf, the attendant knows that when the foremost loaf is at the end of the Wall f he is to pick up four loaves. He need not count them himself. Then when three such groups of four each have been removed, he has taken just a dozen wrapped loaves from the machine. This is of particular utility when the removed loaves are packed in cartons located at hand instead of being placed on the usual movable racks of shelving.

The reason for terminating the wall f short of the end of the shelf f is that if some temporary duty prevents the attendant from picking the loaves up and wrapped loaves continue to arrive on and be pushed alon the shelf, the extra loaves pushed beyond the end of the wall f can be received in a suitable basket or other receptacle placed for that purpose. Another reason for so terminating the wall f is that it leaves an o en space through which an attendant can, i he wishes, swing the row or group of loaves which he has grasped, instead of lifting them up over the top of the wall f.

A ywrapping machine equipped with my present improvements delivers the Wrapped articles properly and conveniently grouped, without requiring any timing mechanism. Whether or not the wrapping machine is operating with regularity, each article issuing from the machine automatically effects the delivering action of the tiltin shelf. And the latter is also true if the delivery belt of the wrappin machine slips or if the articles slip on suc belt.

While the mechanism illustrated and designated by reference letters is especially adapted for use with machines for wrapping loaves of bread, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself thereto as said mechanism is also useful for delivering and counting other Wrapped articles.

I desire it to be also understood that I do not limit myself to machines having a gravity slideway for the feeder which starts the articles in to the Wrapping mechanism, as any other suitable type of feeder maybe employed such as the horizontal belt feeder illustrated in Letters Patent No. 1,253,636 issued January 15, 1918, to Svign & Arnold.

Having now described my invention, I claim:

1. A Wrapping machine having means for automatically starting articles on their way to be Wrapped, a horizontally movable carrier for transporting the wrapped articles, a receptacle in position of adjacency to both the first-mentioned means and said carrier, and means for automatically directing the Wrapped articles laterally from said carrier and delivering them to said receptacle.

2. A- wrapping machine having a feeder for articles to be Wrapped and a receptacle for the wrapped articles, both the feeder and the said receptacle being at one side of the machine and within manual reach of an attendant remaining in one position, said receptacle having means for effecting the gathering of the articles thereon in close relationshi 3l.) A Wrappin machine having a substantially horizonta delivery carrier at its end, a stationary receiving shelf at one side thereof, and a laterally tiltin member for receiving articles from sai carrier and discharging them laterally onto said shelff 4. A Wrappin machine havin a delivery carrier at its en a laterally. inclined receiving shelf at one side thereof means for automatically moving the articles along said shelf, and a tilting member for receivmg articles from said carrier and discharging them onto said shelf.

5. A wrapping machine havin a delivery carrier at its end, a receiving s elf at one side thereof, a laterally tilting member for receiving articles from said carrier and discharging them onto said shelf, and a pusher for sliding the articles along said shelf.

6. A wrappin machine having a delivery carrier at its en a laterally inclined receiving shelf at one side thereof, a laterally tilting member for receivin articles from said carrier and discharging tem onto said shelf, and a pusher for sliding the articles along said shelf, said pusher having a rearwardly extending stop Wall.

. 7. A wrapping machine having a substantiall horizontal delivering belt, a tilting shel having a side edge in proximity to the delivering end of said belt, the free end of said shelf extending to one side of the machine, and a receptacle in posit-ion to receive the Wrapped articles from said tilting shelf.

8. A Wrapping machine having a substantiall horizontal Adelivering belt, `a tilting lshel having a side edge in proximity to the delivering end of said belt, the free end of said shelf extendin to one side of the machine, a rece tacle 1n position to receive the wrapped articles from said tilting shelf, and means for pushing the articles along said receptacle in a direction substantially parallel with the side of the machine.

In testimony whereof I have aixed my signature.

HENRI A. SVIGN' 

